Chaos of Combination
by ZarcherPhoenix
Summary: Aya and Maria meet Ib and Garry through a void that appears in their two separate worlds. What will happen when these two pairs of incredible people meet?
1. The Void

Author' Note (A/N): _In case some of you reading don't know this - Italics signify thoughts, memories, or sounds in my story. In other stories, they may signify different things_

* * *

She yawned. And that was how it all started.

It was a bright and sunny morning in Germany. A young and beautiful young lady with straight, black hair, was humming as she planted carrots in the soil beds of her garden. Of course, they weren't normal carrots. Each of them had a pair of closed eye and a shut mouth, making their 'face' look quite comical, but cute at the same time. Of course, they weren't cute if someone happened to pull them out without wearing some sort of protective gear to block the sound that would be created. Aya remembered the first time she had encountered these little things. It had been such a long time ago, yet she remembered it so clearly.

_Aya looked around the room and was startled to find strange cultivations of things that looked like carrots inside glass cylinders. She immediately noticed that one of the containment cylinders had a jagged hole in it, with broken shards of glass scattered across the floor. She also noticed a pot with what seemed to be a little carrot thing embedded in chocolate brown soil. Aya was about to uproot it when she thought better of it and went to examine the rest of the room. It had been a smart choice to leave the plant alone. She would've died quite unexpectedly and her efforts to save Father would have been for nothing._

_As she looked around, she saw a cracked jar on the middle right-hand side of the room. Curious, she used the hammer she'd found earlier to break it. Now that she thought about it, she could've just used the chainsaw, but no matter, the jar was in pieces now and junk flowed out of it. There was nothing of use inside the jar, except a pair of ear plugs. Aya took it with her on impulse. She eventually found a book that explained the existence and behaviour of the little carrot creatures. She read that if uprooted, the carrots, which were actually called _Mandrakes, _would scream. Anyone who could hear the scream would immediately perish and die. She pondered about it for a moment and quickly thought of a plan. She put the ear plugs in and carried the potted carrot out of the room. If she encountered anyone of anything that posed a threat to her, she could kill them with this effective little plant. As she entered the room on the right side of the corridor, she heard the sound of pacing footsteps. She hid behind some stalagmites and watched the dog pacing around. She had seen that dog from somewhere…Recognition filled her eyes. It was the dog that had eaten the key! She quickly placed the pot on the floor and, hoping for the best, uprooted the plant. The room shook as the carrot screamed, but Aya heard nothing. A fraction of a second passed...then the dog slumped over._

It had taken Aya many attempts and trials to recreate these useful rascals. She owed it to them. They had, after all, saved her life. In return, she was giving them life once again. She patted down the last mound of soil and stood up, stretching her aching back. She had gotten up extremely early today to check on her mandrakes, which she had only finished creating yesterday. She contemplated about going back to bed. As if agreeing with her thoughts, a yawn escaped through her mouth. The void appeared in front of her very eyes.

.

_It was an extremely lugubrious and dark night in an un-named place on the other side of the universe. Within a nice museum with works of strange and avant-garde art, was a little girl in her school uniform. She wasn't on a school field trip, no, she was merely there with her family, consisting of her parents and herself. Why she was wearing her uniform, nobody to this day will ever know. Anyhow, back on topic, the museum wasn't crowded with people, but there were enough so that every hallway and room had a dozen or so observers. _

_As Ib wandered around the museum, she came upon one particular hallway that was devoid of visitors. She looked at the huge painting upon the wall and looked at the description. She couldn't make out a few words. As soon as she finished reading it, the lights flickered for a bit...then all went dark. She panicked. What was happening? She quickly went to find the comfort of her parents__'__ arms, but as she quickly jogged through the corridors and rooms of the museum, she saw that there was nobody! Not a single person was in the museum. She was very upset. What had happened there? Then, she saw that a particular painting on the ground was accessible, now that the chain had been opened up, as if inviting her into its depth. She stepped in and..._

Ib woke up with a start next to Garry. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Garry stirred from under the covers and turned to look up at her tired face. Ib gave him a weak smile.

"You had that dream again?" He asked, patting Ib's cute little head. "I wish I could help."

Ib shook her head. "It's okay. I think it was more frightening for you than it was for me." She giggled at Garry's bashful expression. It was still very early in the morning, so Ib lay back down and buried herself into her guardian angel's chest. She yawned. The void appeared in their room.

.

To explain what had occurred, we will talk about the void. No one knows why the void is formed, or how for that matter, but this void connects the worlds and different dimensions of space into a device of transportation. It acts as a warp, much like how some believe a black hole can be used to transfer someone or something into another place somewhere in the universe. Some think that people like "Ogre" from Aya's world were the first and only beings to understand and have the ability to create such warps willingly and intentionally, but have not confirmed their knowledge. Anyhow, the one thing we know at this point is that the two of them did something to trigger the appearance of these voids. One thing they did in common was yawn. It wasn't the time of day, or the placement, or even the mindset of these two distinct beings; it was the act of yawning at the exact same time, twenty three billion light years apart. Coincidence? Yep. It was estimated that the chance of this occurring was one in a googolplex. However, it happened and so we have a problem. What will Aya, a mad daughter, do with Ib and Garry, two love-sick puppies with a humongous age gap between them? And how will they get rid of the void?

.

Surprised, Aya Drevis took a step back and tripped over one of her carrots, causing her to lose her footing and fall to the ground. It looked just like the one Ogre had brought her into to save Father! But why was it here? And how had it appeared so suddenly? Although Aya had done dozens of gruesome and mature things, gaining knowledge and wisdom through the years, she still had no idea what it really was. Now looking at it, even more memories of that night flooded into her mind, and a sense of nostalgia took over. Maybe...maybe it led to that weird-looking world where she had last seen her mother! She had to be careful though. She got up and rushed to her little cottage, calling for Maria.

"Yes, mistress?" Maria appeared from behind the doll room door.

"I've discovered...no, rather, a void of some kind appeared in our garden. I'd like to see where it will lead us, but I need your help. Please, grab some weapons. We don't know what we'll be dealing with." With that, Aya walked over to the north wall in the operation room and unlocked her precious red chainsaw from a glass cabinet. "Are you ready, Maria?"

"Yes, mistress." She called from the front door. "I have all my needed equipment."

As Aya turned a corner and saw what Maria had in her hands, she smiled. "Always thinking like a true doctor." Maria blushed.

They hurried into the garden and stared at the void for a moment. Maria opened her mouth.

"No, it's fine, Maria. I'll go in first." Without waiting for a response, Aya stepped in.

.

Soft twin thuds jolted Garry awake from his half-asleep state. He'd been too worried about Ib's nightmares to sleep, but had found himself drifting off anyway. He raised his eyelids to reveal dark purple eyes beneath them. Scanning the room, he noticed a young lady with short, straight, black hair, standing in front of a weird purple-blue-ish swirl of colours. He blinked. Was his eyes playing tricks on him?

Since he was peeking from under the covers, the girl didn't notice that he was awake. She seemed to examine him and Ib with interest. She stepped to one side and another person appeared from the weird thing. This time, it was full grown woman in a maid's dress. She had thick, orange braids and blood-red lips. In her hands, she held several syringes and medical tools, one of which was a scalpel. Garry started to feel worried and suspicious. Just who were these people and how had they gotten here?

The first thing he wanted to do was call the police. But, with them in the way, he couldn't just barge out of his bed, leaving Ib unprotected, and run to the phone. They would probably catch him. His eyes drifted back to the younger one. Her back was facing him now as she examined a photo of him and Ib at the beach. His eyes widened. Behind her back was a chainsaw! It was huge one too, with razor sharp, glinting edges, and a thick red handle. Garry began to panic at this point. Were they murderers? Torturers? He couldn't afford to wake Ib up. He knew she would probably shriek in surprise and horror when she saw the two of them. The woman started walking towards them. Garry's mind was going through a dozen ways of escape. He's been in such situations of total panic and confusion before, at the museum. But he had never felt so utterly useless and lost.

He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. Shifting his gaze back to the younger one, he saw her nod at the woman with the medical utensils. In the blink of an eye, he felt a tiny pinch of pain in his right arm and his consciousness drifted away. Before he blacked out, he felt the woman reach over him towards Ib. He wanted to scream. He needed to protect Ib! But it was too late. He was already unconscious.


	2. And So It Begins

A/N: _In case some of you reading don't know this - Italics signify thoughts, memories, or sounds in my story. In other stories, they may signify different things_

* * *

Garry woke up with a start or bolted upright. Or, at least he tried to. Unfortunately, he was strapped down to some sort of hard wooden table and only managed to raise his chest up by an inch or two before slamming his back down. As his memories flooded back, he noticed that the room was extremely dark, almost pitch black. He tugged at his restraints. They had strapped his wrists, ankles, and torso to the table with hard leather straps. Garry lifted his head to look around, but could hardly make out anything in the dark. He wanted desperately to yell Ib's name, but that would probably alert his kidnappers and he didn't want that. He suddenly heard a lock click and somewhere close by, a door creaked open. A thin beam of light trickled through the opening and got wider and brighter as someone entered the room. Garry closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, listening intently while keeping as still as possible. He suddenly got the urge to scratch an itch on his index finger, but refrained himself from moving. He heard the person approach him and stop right beside him. Garry's heart, at this point, was beating very quickly and seemed to be as loud as a staccato of gunfire on a silent night.

"Garry?"

Garry immediately recognized that voice. Although it sounded a bit weird and fuzzy, he knew who it was. It was Ib! But why was she here? How had she gotten here? Then an urge to open his eyes overtook him. He had to see her…make sure she was alright. He opened his eyes.

He opened his eyes. What a fool. He's really dumb isn't he? Aya watched as his eyes dawned upon her face, confusion clouding his eyes. Then his gaze moved towards the recording device in her right hand and it was quickly replaced by realization. Aya spoke in a sweet and innocent voice.

"Good morning Garry…again."

She watched as his mouth opened, then closed, unable to produce any words. She knew why. She had personally made sure to temporarily disable his vocal chords using her new technique. Of course, she has never used this before, so he was the lucky first experiment. If it didn't wear off by the next day, he would be mute forever.

"I got this handy device from your residence, if you were wondering about it. Strange device this is… Anyways, it would be a shame if the potion doesn't wear off and you become mute. I quite like your voice." Aya sighed as Maria walked in the room. "Let's both hope this works perfectly.

"Mistress." Maria bowed her head for a second. "Ib has requested to speak with Garry."

"Very well." Aya turned her back to Garry and proceeded to stroll out. "She won't be speaking **with **him per say, but she will to speaking **to **him. Oh, and Maria, would you please open the windows? It's awfully dark in here…not to mention extremely musty and stuffy."

As Aya made her way upstairs, she called for Ib. Ib came running down the stairs and breathed a small "thank you" before flying down the stairs and out of sight. She had the energy of a child. _Oh wait, she __**is**__ a child. _Aya giggled at this thought. _And children always make such fine dolls…_

Ib gasped as she saw Garry's body strapped to a wooden block of wood or something. She ran and flung her arms over him in an awkwardly positioned hug.

"I missed you." She said, and pulled back, waiting for his response. His mouth moved silently, but nothing came out. She started to get worried. What had happened to her Garry? Panic filled her little heart. She hadn't experienced this intense feeling ever since that time when she thought she'd lost Garry to his own word of creepy dolls at the museum. A slap had brought him back and she had been so relieved, she hugged him tightly. That had also been the moment when she realized just how precious Garry was to her and she had vowed to always be there for him from then on out.

"What have you done to Garry!" She yelled.

Garry was shocked. He had never once heard Ib yell out or raise her voice. She was usually very quiet and shy, preferring to listen to others rather than speak herself. They were both startled when they heard Maria speak. She had appeared out of nowhere at the doorway, silent, quick; one moment she wasn't there, and the next, she was.

"He must have screamed until he lost his own voice, calling your name like that last night." Garry knew she was lying, but her stoic expression gave nothing away. "When we brought him here, he was knocked out. I believe there had been two robbers within your residence and we got there in time to fend them off and bring you two here. He's strapped so because he thought we were the assailants, which led his attack on us. We had to confine and subdue him."

Ib nodded slowly. "Thank you." She turned back to Garry and lay on top of him, breathing in his candy-like scent. "What does subdue mean, Garry?"

Maria left them like that. She could tell that Garry wanted tell the truth, but had no means of communicating with Ib. He looked almost comically frustrated and determined to speak. However, by the time he could speak, if he would ever be able to speak, it would already be too late. His precious little girl would become a beautiful and flawless doll for all eternity.

Aya brought Snowball out of her room and went outside to play for a while. Aya was already thinking of how perfect she would make Ib, and started planning on the dress she would have her wear. Would red and white be suitable colours? Her mind wandered to Garry. He was a handsome lad, looked to be her age, and was very interesting. In a way, she wanted him to be hers forever, maybe even marry her like how Mother had married Father. She wondered if he would ever be as understanding as her Mother had been…if they would ever have a child, become a happy family. _But first, _Aya thought as she shoo-ed Snowball away from the Mandrakes, _I have to get rid of Ib_.


	3. Decisions

A/N: _In case some of you reading don't know this - Italics signify thoughts, memories, or sounds in my story. In other stories, they may signify different things_

* * *

Garry tried everything he could think of doing to communicate with Ib while being strapped down. Nothing worked. He tried making faces, illustrating Aya with a sweet and large eyed expression, then twisting it into a mean and scary face to represent her inner evil. He only succeeded in making Ib giggle and laugh a lot. He tried mouthing the words out, but Ib was the worst lip reader on Earth and could only guess the word 'Aya' before flunking every other word. He tried sign language, but both of them knew as much sign language as a newborn baby. Garry gave up and felt the urge to scream in frustration. He opened his mouth and did so, not expecting any sound to escape his throat.

Ib had been looking around the plain room when she heard a noise. It sounded like a very loud sigh, except it was more of a whispered "Aaaaaaah". She turned to face Garry, saw his wide eyes and open mouth, and gasped in delight.

"Garry!" She ran across the room and threw her arms over him. "You can…!"

"Sshhh." Ib almost didn't catch that because his voice was so silent. "I need to tell you something important. Do not speak or tell anybody about this." Ib was a bit puzzled at the way Garry was articulating each word. He spoke in bursts and each syllable was being emphasized meticulously. Then realization slowly dawned upon her. He was yelling! But his yells came out as whispers instead! Ib nodded.

"Let's begin at the very beginning, right after you fell asleep again…"

.

_Garry…_Maria turned that name over and over in her mind as she hung up wet laundry to dry in the moderately hot, late morning sunshine. _Garry…and mistress Aya…_ She bit her bottom lip, something she did when a lot of contemplation started to formulate in her mind. _Mistress Aya seems interested in that man. _Maria thought as she shook out a white sheet with splotches of pink all over it. _But is he the correct match for her?_

Maria had seen the way Aya had looked at Garry just before she stopped his vocal chords. It was a look she gave to particularly beautiful specimen…but it had been coupled with a look of something intense. Maria wasn't sure what kind of thoughts flashed through her mistress's mind at the time, but she knew it was along the lines of possession. Maria believed that women needed the presence of men, especially if they had been raised and had been in the positive presence of men before. The same went for men. Actually, it was something wired within the human brain to long for the opposite sex.

_This could be good for mistress if he accepts her as who she is, like how her mother had accepted my dear doctor. But alas, I believe that it's short of a miracle, maybe even impossible. _Maria wrung out a beautiful blue handkerchief and watched the droplets drip onto the thirsty patches of grass beneath her feet. She thought back to those moments she had seen Garry look at Ib. His gaze was so full of a love so intense, so blind, that it reminded Maria of herself when she had been around the doctor, Aya's father. It was something that nothing, not even time, could ever change. Maria knew that feeling, that gaze, very well.

As she finished her laundry duty, her thoughts came to an end. _Garry will never accept her. Not with Ib there, clouding his mind. His memory must be erased. _

As Aya walked back into her cottage with Snowball in her arms, Maria appeared from around a corner. Aya was always startled whenever Maria suddenly appeared like that. She was always so quiet and graceful, and not once knowing the skill she had. But Aya never showed her surprise anymore. It was bad to show any form of weakness to those of a lower status, even if it **was **someone close to her, like Maria.

"Yes Maria?" Aya asked, stroking Snowball's long ears.

"I'd like to inquire about Garry." Maria bowed.

"What of him?"

"I don't believe he will accept you, unless…"

"We get rid of Ib. I've thought about it."

"No!" Maria exclaimed abruptly.

That took both Aya and Maria herself by surprise.

"What do you mean by that?" Aya asked incredulously.

"I believe..." Maria looked away. "…it's the way she looks at me. Everyone, that is with the exception of you, find me very unnerving. It's my eyes, I know that, but she-she doesn't even flinch. She commented on the colour of my eyes; said they were like emeralds-"

"Maria." Aya couldn't believe what she had just heard. Maria was beginning to actually take a liking to one of her to-be dolls! "She'd make the perfect doll!"

"You could erase Garry's memories! Of her, of his past, everything!"

"Ib will be the ultimate reminder of his past. You know we can't completely terminate one's memories. Something will always trigger them back into motion."

Maria opened her mouth, then closed it again. She turned around. "Very well, mistress." She glided to the kitchen; a pang of something hit her heart for an instant. But she ignored it. She was loyal to her mistress, and that was that. "Lunch will be ready in an hour."

.

When Garry finished his side of the story (the truth), Ib sat dumbfounded, unable to express the turmoil of emotions within her. She started to speak, but the door creaked a bit and Maria came in with a tray for lunch. Ib looked at Maria warily, trying to conceal her new-found fear and uncertainty. She thanked Maria courteously.

"Is something the matter, Ib?"

Ib smiled a bit and made up a lie. "I haven't heard Garry's voice in a while. I miss it."

Maria nodded as if she understood perfectly well what Ib was going through. "Enjoy your meal." She left and stood still for a moment in the hallway. _Curse my eyes. _She thought. _They always make people uneasy. Curse them, curse them, curse them…_

Ib made eating sounds until she was sure Maria was gone. She looked at her lunch sadly. She was getting hungry and the soup with a cooked ham on the side looked very appetizing. However, she couldn't trust anything in this place anymore. Se dumped the soup out the window, onto the lush grass, doing the same for Garry's soup. She had seen Garry eyeing the soup with hungry eyes. As for the hams…

Ib looked around the room for a place to hide them. For the first time, she noticed that the floor was shallowly hollow in some places. She pried at some of the floorboards and finally found one that came out easily. She examined the small rectangular space. There were two books inside. One of them was on something called "Mandrakes", while the other was bound in a bright red cover with no title. Something about the red book was very enticing, as if attracting her, begging her to take a quick look. This scared Ib, so she picked up the other book instead and flipped through the pages at random.

Upon finding something she found ridiculous, she said, "Garry, listen to this! 'Alraune. A perennial plant in the Mediterranean. Also known by mandrake or mandragora. Due to its toxic composition, it has long been used for sleeping medicine and sedatives. In folklore, it is used in magic and alchemy. Also, when uprooted, it gives a hellish scream that bring death to those who hear it.' Isn't that silly? How can plants scream?" She closed the book quickly as she heard footsteps outside and quickly shoved it and the ham in the hole, placing the floorboards back into its proper place.

The footsteps subsided as they got further away. Ib sighed in relief and walked back to Garry.

"Ib." He whisper yelled. "I need to get out of this thing."

* * *

**A/N: **_Long pause between chapters! Sorry about that! So how do you like it so far? Should I add more detail? Less detail? More conversation, thoughts, etc?  
I'm not sure when I'll be putting up the next chapter, but I'll hopefully have some time and inspiration to do so this month. Also, does each character sound like them?_


	4. Preparations

_A/N: __In case some of you reading don't know this - Italics signify thoughts, memories, or sounds in my story. In other stories, they may signify different things_

* * *

_"Aya!" Doctor Drevis called out. "Come here for a second!"  
"Yes, Daddy?" Aya skipped in happily from the garden.  
"Did you take my chainsaw again?"  
Aya smiled. "Sorry Daddy, but it's very useful."  
"You shouldn't be playing with dangerous things. I've told you before, haven't I?" Doctor Drevis paused. "What have you been using it for?"  
"Nothing important." Aya quickly turned around, heading into the garden once more. "I'll be back with the chainsaw, Daddy!"  
Aya quickly gathered up the tattered and blood-soaked bodies of a cat and bird, hiding them under some bushes. She would have to bring them to her room later, since father rarely entered her room, and would never check her cabinets. She then used the pond to wash the blood off the chainsaw. After wiping it on the grass, she skipped back to her father, who was busy looking intently into a red-bound book.  
"Here you go, Daddy!" Aya chortled pleasantly. "I'm sorry for taking it."  
"It's okay." Doctor Drevis patted her affectionately. "Just take care not to ruin that pretty face of yours. It's very precious…"_

Aya rose from her memories and looked down at the object in front of her. She stroked its beautifully metallic and cold blade with a dull sense of nostalgia. Maria and her had gone back to scavenge for anything that had been spared by the fire, back at her Drevis Residence mansion. They had uncovered several items, most of which were found in the stone basement. Some of these included the wooden tables that her father had used for experiments, along with some interesting books and containers of all sorts. It was also here that Aya had discovered her father's chainsaw, which now lay before her, shining and glinting in the sunlight that streamed through the windows.

Aya never found her father's body.

She moved to one side, opened a large wardrobe, and took out two dresses. They were both beautiful, with red and white as its most dominant colours. There were little black ribbons and accessories lining on the waist, chest and hem of the dress. One of them was to be worn by Ib. She thought for a moment. _Which one…hmmm…_ She decided not to pick the dress this time. Someone else would do the honours of choosing. She called out for Maria, who came promptly.

"I was about to check on **them**," Maria's eyes immediately shifted to the two dresses Aya was holding up. "Mistress?"

"I thought, since you like Ib so much, I'd let you choose this time."

Maria's eyes stared unblinkingly at the two dresses, pupils darting back and forth, absorbing each detail and colour. She imagined fitting Ib into each one of them. In the end, she chose the simpler dress. From what Maria could tell, Ib didn't seem to like really fancy and complicated things.

"Now, shall we begin with Ib or Garry?" Aya smiled innocently, but her eyes glinted with malice. "We could always begin with Garry. Ib will die with the heavy burden that Garry does not remember her anymore, that she's all alone! Oh, but if we start with Ib, we can have Garry watch the whole thing from start to finish! Ib will at least die in the presence of her loved one. Hehehe." Aya giggled a bit uncontrollably, but stopped abruptly. What had gotten into her? Was she going…mad?

"Could we, perhaps, merely keep them separated?" Maria twiddled her thumbs nervously. She hardly ever suggested anything once options were already given to her. She was the loyal dog, following every command, obeying the master to the fullest of her abilities. But, something had changed her.

Aya noticed this as well, but said nothing on the matter. Instead, she readily agreed to Maria's suggestion. Aya needed to keep Maria on her side, at all costs. That meant Aya had to tread carefully when giving out orders and whatnot. Aya did not want to end up like her father, disposing of Maria as soon as she disobeyed or failed the orders given to her. As Maria took the dress away to make some adjustments, Aya started on the injection formula that would lock up Garry's past. She started humming her favourite song as a child, Green Sleeves, while she mixed and boiled each ingredient. _Soon, Garry will be mine…_

.

Meanwhile…  
_What should I use?_ Ib looked around frantically. "Maybe I could ask Maria for knives, on the pretense that it's for the ham?"

Garry shook his head.

_Yeah, that won't work. _Ib pondered. What sort of household item could be used to cut through leather straps? She knew she wouldn't find anything of use in the room she was in now. As much as Ib didn't want to, she walked to the door. She could hear Garry whispering, telling her not to go, it was too dangerous. But she needed to. It was her turn to help him. Ib turned around, blew a kiss, and slowly pushed the door open, not wanting to make a loud sound to alert the others of her exit.

Something darted past her into the room, and she stumbled back, falling on her bottom. Her eyes followed the fluffy, white adult rabbit that was sniffing the air curiously. Ib caught a glimpse of its mouth as it yawned cutely. She wouldn't have to leave the room after all.

.

Everything was ready. It had taken Aya five hours to complete the making of the injection, once having to go into the forest to search for some kind of mushroom. Maria had taken care of the dress in about an hour, allocating the rest of the next four hours to the preparation of utensils for the doll-ification of Ib, the feeding of horses, the pulling or weeds, and the cutting of firewood. She was an efficient and initiative woman, someone who would probably have gotten a lot of job offers if she had shown that side of her to them.

Aya told Maria to go first and separate Ib and Garry; Aya had to quickly sharpen her chainsaw (blunt chainsaws made messy and imperfect cuts). Maria knocked on the operation room door and called out, "Ib?" There was a long pause of silence. Maria was just about the open the door when she heard something that made her turn on her heels and bail.

"Garry, don't touch me like that!" Then a giggle and little squeal.

Maria hid in a corner on the other side of the cottage.

.

"Did it work?" Garry whispered. He was actually, at this point in time, speaking in a normal voice, but it came out as a whisper. His yells were of a normal talking volume. Ib nodded and urged the rabbit to chew a bit faster. They had almost broken through all of his bonds. Only his left ankle was restrained, but the rabbit was 2/3 through it. The longest part had been the thick leather across Garry's torso. It had taken forever for the bunny-rabbit to bite through them. Ib wasn't sure how the rabbit hadn't gotten tired of chewing, or even why it was helping them. Maybe it was due to the fact that, for an unhealthily long time, it hadn't had anything to chew on to tame its teeth. But no matter, it was a great asset to their situation.

"Why did Maria just leave?" Ib asked. "Was what I said so bad?"

Garry looked amused and guilty at the same time. "W-Well…you're too little to know about this. I'll tell you when you reach your late teens. Or maybe when you're an adult." He grinned. "Actually, I'll keep you innocent for as long as possible…if we get out of this place alive."

The rabbit tore through the last threads of leather and hopped off the table. It sat next to Ib, at her feet, looking pleased as she stroked its soft pelt.

"Come on Ib." Garry whispered as he stretched and stood up. He took a few wobbly steps, and then resumed at his normal pace. "Let's go home." He grinned again as he took Ib by the hand. The rabbit jumped into Ib's arms and nestled itself comfortably against her young chest. They were just inches from the door that led to the garden when they heard Maria shouting at the top of her lungs. "Stop!" then, "Aya! Mistress! They're going into the garden!

Ib's heart leapt and pounded furiously against her chest as they sped out the door and ran towards the void. Luck was on their side; they hadn't known the location of the void beforehand. The rabbit suddenly jumped out of Ib's arms and hopped into a patch of plants, nose twitching and ears quivering with excitement. At first, Ib thought they were carrots, but they were a bit pale…then she realized they were the mandrakes she had read about earlier.

"Madrake!" Ib screamed. She ran for the rabbit, but Garry restrained her. They both knew they wouldn't make it to the rabbit, or the void for that matter, in time. Things transitioned into slow-mo at that point. Garry reached into his pockets and drew out a pair of heavy-duty earplugs he used when he had trouble sleeping. He shoved these into Ib's ears and, hoping for the best, plugged his ears with his index fingers. "I love you," He mouthed. Tears welled up in Ib's eyes…

At the same time, Maria came out into the open and, seeing the rabbit's venture towards the mandrakes, shouted, "Mistress! Snowball's going for the mandrakes!" Having warned Aya, Maria followed Garry's lead, plugging her own ears with her index fingers, hoping for the best. Aya ran up to Maria from behind and hugged her. She wished she'd brought an extra pair of earplugs…tears welled up in Aya's eyes.

Several things happened at once. The first thing to happen was the disappearance of the void, followed by an ear-piercing scream as Snowball uprooted a mandrake. And then…three thuds sounded in the quiet aftermath of the scream as three bodies slumped to the ground.


	5. Finale 1

A/N: _In case some of you reading don't know this - Italics signify thoughts, memories, or sounds in my story. In other stories, they may signify different things_

* * *

The silence that followed was almost loud. The birds stopped singing, the leaves stopped rustling, the wind stopped blowing, and even Ib and Aya stood still for what seemed like eternity. Their eyes moved, rolled, widened, dampened. On the ground lay Garry, Maria, and Snowball, all crumpled up in the dirt ground like sacks of flour. They didn't look peaceful; they looked disturbed, uncomfortable, as if they were merely frozen in time. A single small voice penetrated the silence.

"No…"

Aya fell to her knees and held tight to her Maria's limp body. "No." She rocked Maria's body back and forth like that of a mother to her child, repeating that word over and over again, increasing in volume with each utter. "No…No…No…NO…NO! NO! NO! NO!" Aya let go of Maria's body suddenly and sprang up to her feet, looking down at Maria's face. Aya slowly raised her head, looked at the destruction in her garden, and then looked at Ib. Ib was holding Garry's hand tightly, a frown upon her little face, her eyes void of tears. Aya's eyes began to widen…she began to shake and twitch uncontrollably.

_I've…lost everything. _Her vision started to blur out of focus, then snap back to a crystal clear image of her surroundings, then gradually blur again. _Maria…oh Maria…And Garry. I was supposed to…we were going to…live happily ever after…_ tears rolled down Aya's face as she stared unblinkingly at Ib. _Even my dear Snowball. Oh my dear, dear Snowball…why…oh Snowball, you were always there for me in thick and thin...I gave you that life elixir for a reason Snowball…did you want to die that badly? Oh Snowball…Snowball…you died because of…because of…_ Strings of feelings knotted and tangled together. Aya felt so many things at once, she couldn't bear it. She had to…but she shouldn't…she-

_Ib's…fault…_

Aya began to laugh. It was a small, low laugh at first, like a chuckle, but it escalated slowly into something more menacing, more insane, just like her father's laugh.

"Iiiiib~." She chuckled and sang Ib's name out loud. The name seemed to linger in the air as Aya's laughs grew louder and louder. "Oooh Iiiiib~!" _Chainsaw. Rage. Anger. Apprehension. Uncertainty. Fear. Her fault. Chainsaw. Dead. Die. Fear. Sadness. Loneliness. Maria. Garry. Snowball. Ib. Ib. IB. IB!_

Aya walked towards Ib as if she was sleepwalking. Her mind wasn't fully conscious anymore. She was far too removed now. She had shut off all her feelings, shut off all her thoughts except for one thing. Ib. Her arms seemed to rise on their own accord, the chainsaw slowly lifted above her head, glinting in the sunlight. It was too pleasant an evening for this to be happening. But Aya paid no heed to her surroundings. Indeed, her vision blurred the surrounding, the trees, the grass, the rocks, and dirt, and sky, and clouds into a mush of colours. Her focus was on Ib and the bodies lying on the ground. It was Ib's fault that this all happened.

Without warning, Aya darted forward and revved up the chainsaw. Ib, who had been warily watching Aya ever since she started walking towards her, stood up hastily and backed up a few tentative steps. She looked confused.

"Aya?" Ib asked uncertainly. "Why?"

Aya didn't stop. She continued her sprint toward Ib, holding the chainsaw high up in the air, its metal blades slicing the air with each whirl. "Why?" Aya laughed manically. "WHY? YOU TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME! YOU KILLED EVERYONE I EVER CARED ABOUT! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Ib didn't budge from her spot. Instead, she stepped forward and knelt next to Garry. She looked straight into Aya's eyes. There was no emotion in them. She was merely staring at her, and somehow, that unnerved Aya enough to stop right in front of her and hesitate. That was enough for Ib.

"Garry's not dead." Ib said in a tiny voice. She moved her gaze to Maria's body. Aya's mind began to spin. _He's not dead? But he…_ Aya cautiously looked at Maria's body. It wasn't moving. _This is a trick. Ib's tricking me! _Aya screamed in rage and dropped the chainsaw on the grass. She grabbed Ib by her collar and dragged her away from Garry, into the patch of mandrakes. She pulled out Ib's earplugs, reached for another mandrake…

"Mistress…?"

Aya froze, fist gripping the head of a mandrake.

"Mistress…what are you…"

"IB!"

Ib and Aya heard someone run to them and the person grabbed Aya's wrist. Aya shrieked in surprise and let go of the mandrake. The two girls looked at the intruder; Aya gasped while Ib merely smiled and ran into the arms of Garry. Or, one arm of Garry. His other arm was busy restraining Aya. Aya couldn't believe her eyes. Garry was alive? Then that meant…she looked at Maria, who was now walking towards them at a slow pace, carefully lifting her dress so that the hem of it wouldn't get dirty. But after a while, Maria let go and ran towards Aya, embracing her in a tight hug. Aya stiffened for a second, but then her emotions flooded back into her and she welcomed the embrace, burying herself into Maria's arms. Aya sobbed and hiccupped as she tried to form words to express her feelings, but Maria shushed her and stroked her hair gently.

After a while, Maria went to Garry and Ib, beckoning Aya to join them. Aya looked at the group of three sadly. Snowball was surely dead. That was for sure. And Aya…well…

"Mistress, please. Let us all be friends." Maria offered Aya her hand.

"But…what I did…" Aya looked away, eyes brimming with fresh tears of remorse and shame. "I shouldn't have…it was wrong…I…"

"Aya, I forgive you." Ib said timidly. Garry nodded slightly, although his gaze was anything but forgiving. How dare she try to hurt Ib!

Aya shook her head. "What I did and what I have done these past few years have been wrong and horrible." She turned her face towards them; in her eyes, they saw calmness, and a kind of new peace. "I became a-a mad **daughter **today. I can't continue living like this. The craving that destroyed my father also rests in me. I will forever be bound to my pleasures whenever I kill, whenever I carve, whenever I make a perfect human doll. Ib, come here for a second."

Ib reassured Garry with a single look and approached Aya without fear. Aya smiled, but it was a sad smile. "I'm sorry Ib. For everything." She leaned in and kissed Ib's forehead lightly. Ib looked at her with questioning eyes. "A charm for good luck and a happy life." Aya patted Ib's head and looked at Maria. She walked to Aya as Ib returned to Garry's protective arms. "Maria, you have always been so supportive and loyal to me. I will cherish what you have done for me." Maria tried to speak, but Aya placed a finger on her lips and shook her head. "I cannot stay in society Maria." Finally, Aya looked at Garry from afar, not attempting to have him approach her. "I'm sorry for hurting Ib. I know you may never forgive me, but I'm sorry. And I'm sorry about your vocal cord experiment."

Aya walked back into the house and yelled out, "Don't get close to this house!" before closing the door behind her. Not knowing what to do, the trio waited. A few minutes passed by and there was a sudden _WHOOSH_ and the house exploded into an inferno of heat and flames. They stepped back and shielded their faces against the heat and light for a second before it dimmed down enough for them to fully take in what had just happened.

"Oh, mistress…" Maria's eyes welled up with tears and she began to sob.

Ib and Garry watched the flames dance in the sky as the sun descended below the horizon slowly. It was as if the sky was reflecting the blazing colours of the fire before them, giving the scene a serene atmosphere. As the last bits of sunlight disappeared, a figure appeared beside Maria and took off his black bowler hat in respect.

"Anyone need a void?" He asked.

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**A/N: **_I was thinking of ending it off here, but if you guys want more, I could write one more chapter. So, should I include an epilogue? Reviews are always much appreciated! Tell me what you thought of this story~!_


	6. Finale 2

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! WHO WHAT WHERE-"

Ib jumped visibly in Garry's arms. "Garry…"

Garry breathed heavily and, after seeing that there was no immediate danger, calmed down and said, "Ib, are you okay? Were you scared?"

The small girl turned to look at the man with the black bowler hat, then turned to look up at Garry. "Garry's scream scared me more."

Garry laughed embarrassingly. "Déjà vu…"

"What on earth are you doing here Ogre?" Maria wiped away a few tears and pierced Ogre with her eyes. "You disappeared many years ago, after that…the incident…"

Ogre bowed. "I am here per request from a certain someone to lend you a hand on this matter. These sheer bouts of luck have caused quite a predicament in the universe and different dimensions. Your actions have not caused one, but **two** voids to appear in ways that were never deemed possible by humans, or rather, any living organism other than a few selected individuals."

"One of them being you, I presume."

"Exactly! Right in the dot. Now, would you like me to open up the void and return you two lovely humans to your own respected homes?" He carefully placed his black bowler hat back on his white scalp and waited patiently for an answer.

"Of course!" Garry replied. "No offense, but I don't want to stay here for a moment longer. Ib?"

Ib nodded slightly and opened her mouth, but hesitated. Sensing the words that were about to leave Ib's mouth, Maria shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Ib; I cannot leave this place. It is my home and my world. It is my sanctuary and my abyss. This place is the only connection I have with my past and myself. I would not want it taken from me so easily."

Ib looked a bit shy and embarrassed. "You can be our maid. You can take a few objects here back to our world. You'll have pieces of your past with you."

It was a tough decision for Maria. See, she didn't really know what she would do now that everything was burning. She had no relations, no one who could take her in. She could hardly defend herself or live in the wild, as she was not accustomed to it. Even if she could, any weapons or supplies were now burning, melting, and exploding in the huge inferno of heat that engulfed the small cottage with roaring hunger. There was nothing to bring back with her. Snowball was dead, the mandrakes were hardly appropriate to bring into a world like Ib's, even her hand-made dresses and favourite cooking utensils were gone. She had nowhere to go and nothing to bring. What would she do?

Ogre knew all of this. He was a clever one and had been clandestinely (secretly) watching them from afar with great amusement and interest. Moreover, he knew of the perfect solution. He smiled without showing his teeth, took Maria's hand, kissed it, and said in a low voice, "I have who you seek in your dreams. I have the one whom you cherish and love, even now. Let me take you to him. Let me guide you."

"Hey what's going on? Am I missing out on something?" Garry was getting extremely paranoid. "What are you two whispering about? Don't say you're planning to attack on us."

Ib tugged on Garry's green shirt lightly. "Maria wouldn't do that."

Maria's eyes glimmered with new hope, but it quickly died down. "Even if you bring me to my beloved, I will not be received well. It will never be the same between the two of us."

"Oh, don't be so pessimistic. I have helped and watched him over the years. He craves for another living being. He will receive you with pleasure."

"Even after what I did to him?" Maria looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet restlessly. "After I…stabbed him?"

There was sudden movement behind Maria. When she looked back, Garry was holding Ib in a protective stance and was eyeing her with suspicion. _So be it, _she thought. _It will be easier to part from them now._

"I'll go with you Ogre. Ib, Garry, thank you for your hospitality. I hope to meet you once again. Farewell." Maria closed her eyes and turned her head away. She didn't want them to see the fresh tears running down her pale cheeks.

Several things happened at once. Somehow, out of nowhere, two voids suddenly appeared. Ogre pushed Ib and Garry into one void, took Maria's arm and literally jump-glided into the other void. As Ib passed through it, she shouted out her final goodbye, "I will always remember you, Maria!" and then they all disappeared with the voids.

To this day, the burning flames are still raging. They never go out and never will. The cottage came to be known as "The House of Eternal Flames".

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**A/N: **As requested, I have finally stopped procrastinating and added another chapter! An additional and totally unnecessary epilogue of sorts will be coming soon, but be fore-warned. Do not read it if you cannot deal with cliffhangers.


	7. Epilogue

Maria and Ogre appeared in a small, yet spacious, clean, well-lit, and white room. There were several large glass cylinders that Maria had once used to store the bodies of different specimen. A blue blanket covered one of these from top to bottom and there, in front of that cylinder, was Doctor Drevis. Maria couldn't contain herself anymore. She had dreamed and thought too much of her beloved doctor; she could not simply restrain herself with all the turmoil of emotions inside of her. She ran towards the doctor and wrapped her arms around his solid and warm body. He was alive! He was ALIVE! *By this time, Ogre had disappeared.*

"Who…" Doctor Drevis removed Maria slowly and looked down at her face. "Why, I haven't seen this face in so long. As much as I neglected you, you still came back to me. You don't know how lonely I have been, how desperate I was for there to be another soul with me. Then you came to me. I'm glad. So very glad…Maria."

Maria's eyes welled up again with tears as he spoke her name. _He remembers me! _Maria thought joyfully. _He remembers me…and yearns for me._

"Doctor…" Maria started.

"No." He held her shoulder and traced her jaw with his right hand. "My name is Alfred. Call me Alfred from now on."

She smiled. He was as demanding as ever. That was her Doct-Alfred.

"Would you like to see the project I've been cultivating for the past few years?" Suddenly, Alfred's eyes turned strange. Where they were once kind and relieved, they now they shone with excitement and…insanity. Maria's heart sank. He hadn't changed one bit. She nodded her yes.

Alfred let go of Maria and stood beside the cylinder. He grinned and his eyes gleamed. "Say hello to my precious…" He dramatically swiped the blanket off. "…Aya."


End file.
